Groundings
by The Escaped
Summary: There was no way that Kai could just settle into a life as boring as the one at the Air Temple. At least, that's what he told Tenzin when he got caught riding a bison (again). Sometimes Kai just wished that someone understood that. He didn't expect that person to be that weird earthbending guy who hung out with the avatar.


_Hi there! I know what you're thinking- why isn't this another chapter of Teaching Discipline or A Twist of Fate? Because I've just binge-watched the last two seasons of Korra, of course! Sorry, a lot's been happening, but I'm going to be back on track from now on. I'm so sorry to all my readers, who are so much more patient than I deserve._

_So- I've been fangirling over Kai ever since he got on the show because he is EXACTLY like Briar Moss and also I just want to mother him. But anyway, I spend an indecent amount of time wondering how difficult a transition it must have been for him to go from the streets to the air temple. I love Tenzin, kind of, but he grew up in the spotlight as the one airbending child and Aang and Katara's kid and I just think he was extremely privileged. I don't think he would understand Kai at all, and understanding has never really struck me as one of Tenzin's strong suits. _

_Bolin on the other hand, let me talk about him. I think it's adorable how he wants so bad to be Kai's older brother, and he GETS it because he grew up on the streets too. I think once Kai gave him a chance, they would have this great found-family thing going on. _

Groundings

Timeline: Somewhere between the airbender training and the season three finale.

"You go too easy on him!" Tenzin snapped, "You let him think he can get away with anything! He _can_ with you!"

"He's just a kid. Kids are supposed to get into trouble."

"Bolin, I have _raised_ children. Jinora, Ikki, and Milo have never gotten into as much danger as that child has."

"So you're holding out for Rohan?"

"This is serious!" exploded the airbending master, "Kai doesn't pay attention in lessons, he ignores the code of conduct within the temple, things keep going missing-"

"From what I've heard, Bumi's a worse influence than Kai is."

"Bumi didn't sneak out and try to saddle a wild sky bison!" Tenzin thundered, "With what I've seen, I'm not sure Kai will ever be an airbender!"

And that, Kai decided, was enough of that. Crawling back through the vents, he wriggled out in his own room.

Sometimes it was good to eavesdrop. You could find out all sorts of things that way, maybe get some yuan out of it. This was not one of those times.

Kai folded his arms against his stomach, hating ache centered there. At least now he knew what they thought of him. It's not like it was a surprise, he reminded himself, sitting on the bed, he'd been making trouble for Tenzin ever since the airship had landed.

"Hey, little brother!"

Kai groaned and buried his head in his hands, falling back against the bed. He didn't know why the earthbending guy had taken such an interest in him, but he couldn't lose him.

"Why would Tenzin send you?" he demanded, not looking up. "You're not even an airbender."

"No, but we've lived here." Bolin flopped onto Kai's bed without invitation. "It's haaard! There are so many rules! Don't earthbend in the temple! Stop bugging the lemurs! Stop dressing Pabu in Gyatso's sacred robes!"

Kai huffed. "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to see how you're doing!" he said enthusiastically. Bolin did everything with enthusiasm. Kai didn't know how he didn't notice when he was annoying anyone. Tenzin would probably say it was an act of will, but then he would be annoyed when Kai didn't know what that was. "See how you're settling in, your new room…"

Kai raised his arm a bit to glance over the room. It was small, but it was his. The airbenders were supposed to be sleeping in a hall together, but Jinora had spoken to her dad- by which, Kai had discovered by eavesdropping, meant arguing with him and then dragging in her mother- and persuaded him to give Kai the same kind of room that the other kids had. Kai had been more excited about it before he knew how much time he would be spend locked in. Even so, he was happy. Sleeping around other people reminded him of the orphanage.

And this way, if he had nightmares about Lake Laogai, or he woke up and didn't know where he was at first, no one had to know.

"It's not like there's a lot to put in it," he mumbled.

"True…oh! I know! Me and Mako can take you shopping!" Kai groaned. Just what he needed, being stuck with a cop all day. Being watched all the time by Tenzin was bad enough.

"Or…maybe not," Bolin backtracked, "But, I mean, you just got here. You'll fill it up with stuff in no time."

Kai rolled over so that he was facing the wall. "Only if Tenzin doesn't kick me out first." He said under his breath.

Bolin laughed much too loudly for something that hadn't been a joke. "Hahaha! Good one! Tenzin's been dreaming about restoring the Air Temples his whole life. He's not going to let you go no matter what you do!"

"Sounds an awful lot like the Earth Queen to me," he mumbled.

Bolin didn't say anything, even though Kai knew he had gone too far with that. Instead, he started tapping his heels against the side of the bed.

"So, where do you keep it?"

"Keep what?"

"The food."

"The food stays in the kitchens or the dining hall," recited Kai. Pema had told him a dozen times by now. It was a stupid rule.

"Not that food. The food you're hiding in here."

Kai's eyes snapped back open. He sat up to watch Bolin. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Bolin held up his hands. "Right, sure, I get you." Kai frowned. "And I definitely didn't cover for you when food kept vanishing from the airship after you got on it."

Kai went bright red and looked away. He'd been nervous when Mako had first mentioned the missing food on the way to Ba Sing Se. But then Bolin had started this story about eating in his sleep that was so rambling and so confusing that even Kai forgot what they were talking about by the end of it.

Huh. Maybe Bolin did know what other people thought of him. At least enough to use it.

And Kai was pretty sure they would have kicked him out right then if they'd figured out it was him, so he figured he owed Bolin.

A blast of air shifted the pile of clothing across the room to the side. Underneath it was a cloth sack.

"Huh!" Bolin pulled it over and started rooting through it. It didn't have much in it, just some lychee berries and a few of the sticky buns that they'd had for dinner. Kai didn't let the food rot; then it would smell and someone would find out. At the bottom was a purse of filched coins, and a fancy comb with jade inlay.

"I'm not gonna run away!" he said defensively, "I was just-" Just collecting a little security. Just in case they got tired of him. He wasn't like Ryu; he didn't have a family to go back to if the Air Nation kicked him out.

"I know you're not; you'd be gone by now if you wanted to," Bolin said, "Hey, can I have one of these?" Kai rolled his eyes and nodded. Mouth full of sticky buns, Bolin continued, "There was this alley by the Pro-Bending Arena, and me and Mako would keep ours there. Of course, I could earthbend a hiding place for it, so I guess it was easier."

"Huh?"

Bolin swallowed. "I told you, me and Mako lived on the streets for a while."

He had said that, but Kai… hadn't been paying attention. He'd been a little busy pick-pocketing Mako. Besides, he hadn't thought they'd actually been telling the truth. What kind of former street rat ended up working the beat with Lin Beifong, or a mover star?

"Look, I know it's…weird. When Mako actually got us an apartment, we didn't really know what to do with it. And it probably stinks even more having to listen to Tenzin all the time. Mako bossed me around a lot, but he knew what it was like. Tenzin's never had to worry about stuff like you and me, and he takes it for granted that other people don't either."

"You don't have to tell me what not to like about Tenzin," Kai interrupted, "I've figured out enough of that on my own."

Bolin flapped a hand. "But this can be your home now, if you want it to be."

Kai hunched in on himself. "Tenzin said that he wasn't sure I could ever be an airbender."

"Tenzin's cranky. Like, all the time. And right now he's mad that Bumi keeps stealing his lesson plans." Kai cracked a smile, which Bolin took as encouragement. "Look, I promise none of this will leave the room. But if you need someone to talk to…I can talk to Tenzin, if you want. I won't make him think…He won't think it's because you were a street kid. I'll figure something out. I'm not good at that, but I can do it."

Something in Kai relaxed a little. Jinora wouldn't end up looking at him like a stray monkey-pup if Bolin made it sound like something else.

But Kai could still remember how angry Tenzin had been. He'd gone so red his arrow had turned purple. "And what if he does kick me out?" Kai had lived on the streets already, he could do it again, but he didn't want to.

"If he does, which you'd have to do something really stupid to do, by the way, you can come live with me. I have my own apartment."

Kai laughed. "Yeah, Mako would love that."

"Mako doesn't own it. I do. I bought it with the movers' money." That was when Kai realized Bolin was serious. "You could stay there if you had to, or with Asami, or Korra would arrange something. We're not going to just turn you out into the streets."

"I- oh."

Bolin ruffled his hair. "I don't think the streets could take it. Now come on, you want to go apologize?"

"Not really."

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Come on." Kai stood and followed him out.

Later that night, Pema would find her lost comb on her dresser, and Tenzin found his oldest daughter walking Kai through the katas he would need to learn before _thinking_ about touching a sky bison, Bolin offering encouragement from the side.

Things weren't quieter after that- an air temple with Milo and Kai in it couldn't ever be called _quiet_- but there was a certain peace about the youngest new airbender. Something had finally grounded him.

Fin.

_Yay, you got to the end! Thank you for reading!_

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